Futurama and the Wildly Impractical Expertise From the Yr 3000
We wish to carry you to the yr 3000, and speak about a few of the biggest improvements identified to man… okay, effectively, we made that final half up, as a result of we’re truly going to speak about Futurama at present. One of many inconvenient realities of science fiction is that improvements are conceptualized by means of the lens of at present, which means that when a author or a filmmaker desires of the distant future, they have a tendency to lean into what they know in regards to the expertise of their time, and extrapolate from there.
Matt Groening was effectively conscious of this, and sourced a whole lot of humor for Futurama by heightening this idea to ridiculous proportions. Certain, there are flying vehicles and spaceships that aren’t actually out of the abnormal, however if you pull again the curtain just a bit bit, you see a world of wildly impractical expertise that lends itself to dysfunction, huge waste of assets, and, after all, humor.
Suicide Cubicles
If you happen to’re ever uninterested in life within the yr 3000, suicide cubicles could be discovered on each road nook. Very similar to the cellphone cubicles of the previous, you possibly can unalive your self (or try and make a accumulate name) for only a quarter. If you happen to’re an individual who likes choices, you even have the posh of selecting between “fast and painless,” or “gradual and horrible.” And since we’re on the subject of wildly impractical, the suicide cubicles in Futurama offer you a receipt when the deed is finished– simply in case you could let your accountant know.
Robots That Run on Booze
Bender is called Bender for an excellent cause: he guzzles alcohol like his life is determined by it. Really, his life does depend upon it. His identify is suiting as a result of he’s actually on a nonstop bender. The ironic half is that if a robotic stops consuming, they begin to slur, collapse, develop a 5 o’clock shadow, and get bloodshot eyes. That’s proper, all the identical issues that occur to a human after a day (or week) of heavy consuming occur to their robotic cohorts once they cease consuming.
Nibbler’s Natural Waste Fueling the Planet Categorical Ship
When the Planet Categorical crew adopts Nibbler (or Lord Nibbler) from Planet Vergon 6, he does nothing however trigger bother. The little man stands simply over a foot tall, however has an urge for food that may make Andre the Large blush. When Leela, Fry, Bender, and the remainder of the Planet Categorical crew attempt to spherical up all of the animals in a Noah’s Arc trend on Vergon 6, they uncover Nibbler, who wasn’t on the checklist of endangered animals. Whereas their backs have been turned, Nibbler in a short time eats the remainder of the animals the crew was attempting to rescue, which leads them to extinction. Fortunately for Nibbler, the Planet Categorical ship runs out of gasoline, and the crew finds out that Nibbler’s bowel actions are literally darkish matter, which is a gasoline supply within the yr 3000. So at any time when they’re in a pinch, they simply want to attend for Nibbler to pinch one thing off himself, and this as a rule saves the day.
Occupational Microchip Inserts
When Fry wakes up within the yr 3000, he’s whisked away to the employment workplace by Leela to get his profession chip implanted. That’s proper, within the yr 3000, your profession is predetermined by a sequence of character checks, and as soon as your occupation is chosen for you, a microchip is jammed into your hand by a contraption that appears immensely painful. Again within the day, you’d have to speak to your steering counselor for profession recommendation, however sooner or later, you get a needle the dimensions of a kitchen knife jammed by means of your hand.
Radiation In all places
Futurama is jam-packed with devices and gizmos that emit an alarming quantity of radiation, however no one appears to thoughts. Effectively, apart from all of the radioactive mutants that reside within the sewage system beneath New New York. Once you see residents strolling round with a tender inexperienced glowing aura, that they’re registering increased numbers on the Geiger counter. When Bender begins messing round with an X-ray gentle and shines it on Fry’s crotch, Fry appropriately yells “Ow, my sperm!” nodding to the truth that he’s most likely been sterilized. It’s virtually poetic how even within the yr 3000, Matt Groening makes use of nuclear energy for the sake of comedy. Homer Simpson could be proud.
Robotic Arms Residences
Robots don’t ask for a lot in Futurama. Only a clear, well-lit place to hold their hat up for the day, and sleep standing up in a closet-sized enclosure. This can be a supply of rigidity for Fry when Bender lets him crash at his place; there’s simply not sufficient room for the 2 of them, and it places their friendship at odds after a sequence of sleepless nights. Fortunately for Fry, he quickly finds out that Bender’s “closet” is a large condo overlooking New New York, with loads of unutilized sq. house for him to name it an acceptable residence.
Will expertise within the distant future be drastically completely different from the expertise of at present? Whereas there isn’t any technique to know for sure, we are able to solely hope that it’s a bit extra sensible than Futurama’s yr 3,000.
